Dropping the C-Bomb

Physics-centric creature-flinging puzzle games are ten a penny on the App Store. That's primarily thanks to Angry Birds.

Most of these trajectory-based puzzle games are little more that flimsy cash-ins made by folks who don't even bother trying to add anything new to the well-established template.

Radiangames's Bombcats is a little different, though.

For one thing, the developer has got the flinging thing down to a tee. For another, the developer has dreamt up a raft of interesting new ideas and mechanics for Bombcats that make this game more worthy of your time than most.

IAPs explained

There's plenty for you to spend your hard-earned cash on in Bombcats in terms of currency and boosts.

First, there's gems, which come in a variety of packs ranging from 20,000 for £1.49 to 560,000 for £27.99. You can spend these on power-ups and other in-game items.

A "Gem Doubler", which permanently doubles your gem haul, costs £1.49. A "Power Discounter", which halves the price of power-ups, is £1.49. An "Attempt Booster", which lets you retry certain challenges quicker, is also £1.49.

Finally, a "Sunlock Breaker", which essentially unlocks all the levels in the game, costs £2.49.

It's not perfect by any means, but it's an engaging little game all the same.

Bomb flingity

The aim of the game is to throw explosive cats at other explosive cats who've become trapped in magical cages. Blow up one of the titular critters in the right place and it'll free its trapped comrade. That's not all, though, for you'll need to collect glowing yellow suns to progress to the next level.

Anyone who's played Angry Birds will be familiar with the slingshot controls of Bombcats. Rather interestingly, mind, you don't have any say over the power of your fling here; just the direction. This means you really have to consider where you need to fire your pussies.

You can fling your cats farther with extra flicks after the first one, and tap them to get them to explode early if they're already in the right place. This results in a more kinetic experience, for you're always tapping and swiping rather than just spectating.

The levels are well designed, and different challenges and cats are introduced at opportune moments as you play through. Sometimes, you need to polish off a set of bite-sized levels as quickly as you can to complete a challenge. On other occasions, you need to fling your cat as far as you can with a few flicks and bounces.

Tossing a tabby

There's a degree of challenge in Bombcats that you don't find in many games of this ilk. And while you can purchase power-ups and boosts, the basic Bombcats experience is tough enough to occasionally leave you scratching your head.

With clever features like replay sharing up its sleeve, too, Bombcats is a surprisingly compelling game. While Radiangames doesn't exactly re-invent the physics-based puzzler wheel here, there are enough new 'spokes' in Bombcats to keep you entertained for a long time.